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Rocket Salad with Halloumi, Walnuts and Peaches

Rocket Salad with Halloumi, Walnuts and Peaches

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This rocket salad is a delightful blend of fresh greens and the sweet, juicy flavour of ripe peaches, complemented by the savoury notes of halloumi and toasted walnuts.

The base consists of 150 grams of rocket (arugula) leaves and 50 grams of lettuce, providing a mix of peppery and tender greens. Two sprigs of fresh mint add a refreshing touch to the salad.

The star of the dish is the two ripe peaches, which are pitted, roasted, and then chopped to release their natural sweetness and enhance their flavour.

Peaches-image

I brush the peaches with a little butter and roast them in the oven for about half an hour. Simultaneously I also toast the walnuts for 10 – 15 minutes, until fragrant.

The roasting process brings out their juiciness and creates a lovely caramelized note. A knob of butter is used to roast the peaches, adding richness to their taste.

To elevate the salad’s taste and texture, five slices of fried halloumi cheese are added, providing a salty and slightly chewy element that pairs well with the peaches. Along with the halloumi, ten lightly toasted walnuts contribute a nutty crunch to the dish.

The Peach Vinaigrette dressing perfectly complements the salad’s flavours. It consists of a blend of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and a small garlic clove for a tangy and aromatic base.

The dressing incorporates the roasted peaches (or peach compote) to add an extra burst of peachiness. If the roasted peaches or compote are unavailable, ripe peach and a touch of honey can be used as a substitute, with a tablespoon of water if necessary to achieve the desired consistency.

Seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper, the vinaigrette ties all the ingredients together and enhances the overall taste of this mouthwatering peach salad. It’s a delightful balance of sweet and savory, making it a perfect summer dish bursting with flavor.

I love making this rocket salad from June to August using peaches or other stone fruit.

Some times, when I don’t have halloumi, I just crumble some feta in the salad and it is equally delicious.

Rocket, peach and halloumi salad image

Can I make this rocket salad with other fruit?

This rocket salad (arugula salad) with fried halloumi and walnuts can be made with other fruit such as strawberries during spring or figs at the end of summer or pomegranate during autumn.

Halloumi cheese, when grilled, goes golden brown on the outside, and melts in the middle, with a fabulous flavour.

It works particularly well in salads and I love to pair it with something sweet.  

A bite of salty halloumi, sweet figs, crunchy walnuts and peppery rocket is just perfect.

Figs image

Before giving you the recipe for this salad which I made last month, I would like to thank all of you who voted for me in the first and second challenges of Project Food Blog, of Foodbuzz.  

I did not advance to the third challenge but I wish to congratulate all my friends who did and wish you good luck and of course, shall continue to vote for you, in the  new challenges to come.

An update on my book.  Although I have posted this on Facebook, I know that a lot of my readers are not on Facebook, so the news is that I am having some technical problems. 

I have all the content ready but as it was created on Word, when creating the PDF the pictures are downsized, so I have to do this all over again.

I’ve started reading tutorials on how to do this on open office and although at first sight it looks like word, preparing a book is quite complicated, so I will need a lot of time to study it, without distractions.   For this reason I will not be visiting you as often as I would like as blog hopping is  time consuming.   I will continue reading your posts from my reader and from Facebook and once in a while I shall post an easy recipe.

Regarding open office 3.2, if any one knows this program well and wants to share some tips, I will appreciate it.  Please leave me a message and I shall get in touch with you.

Shelled walnuts image

I know that figs are almost over, but if you can still get some (we still get them in Greece) I urge you to try it.

Halloumi and figs are such a perfect match and if you love rocket (arugula) I am sure you will love this salad.  

I prefer halloumi pan fried or grilled in salads and when pan frying the halloumi  I decided to toss in the figs, which I caramelized them to bring out their sweetness:  A bite of salty halloumi, sweet figs, crunchy walnuts and peppery rocket is just perfect. 

Collage Rocket, fig and halloumi salad image

The vinaigrette was tossed in the last minute after the picture was taken.

Rocket and fig salad image

Rocket (Arugula) Salad with Halloumi, Walnuts and Figs

Yield: 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

This rocket salad with figs, fried halloumi and walnuts is so delicious it could star as the main attraction on your dinner table.

Ingredients

  • 4 fresh figs, quartered
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 100 grams (3.5 oz) rocket (arugula) leaves, washed and dried
  • 4 slices fried halloumi
  • 1/3 cup lightly toasted walnuts
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Vinaigrette:

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 small garlic clove
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tsp honey or petimezi (concentrated grape syrup)
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. Heat the olive oil in a non stick frying pan over high heat and fry halloumi on both sides  Remove halloumi and add figs and walnuts, which slightly toast on both sides.
  2. In a large serving platter arrange rocket and scatter figs and halloumi, cut into smaller pieces, as well as toasted walnuts.
  3. In a food processor add all the vinaigrette ingredients and mix.
  4. Just before serving drizzle the vinaigrette on top of the salad and mix.

Notes

If making this salad in winter, you can used dried figs. In this case you just cut them into smaller pieces.

Nutrition Information
Yield 4 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 244Total Fat 21gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 17gCholesterol 6mgSodium 194mgCarbohydrates 13gFiber 2gSugar 10gProtein 3g

Did you make this recipe?

Tried this recipe? Tag me @ivyliac and use the hashtag #kopiaste!

Summer Peach Rocket Salad image

Rocket (Arugula) Salad with Halloumi, Walnuts and Peaches

Yield: 5
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes

This peach salad is a delightful blend of fresh greens and the sweet, juicy flavor of ripe peaches, complemented by the savoury notes of halloumi and toasted walnuts.

Ingredients

  • 150 grams rocket (arugula) leaves, washed and dried
  • 50 grams lettuce
  • 2 sprigs fresh mint
  • 2 ripe peaches, pitted, roasted and chopped
  • A knob of butter
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 5 slices fried halloumi
  • 10 lightly toasted walnuts
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Peach Vinaigrette:

  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 small garlic clove
  • 2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 2 slices roasted peaches (or peach compote) (or ripe peach and ½ tsp honey - a tbsp water may be necessary)
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. Brush the peaches with a little butter and roast them for about half an hour in a preheated oven to 170oC.
  2. Simultaneously toast the walnuts for 10 - 15 minutes, until fragrant. Remove to a plate.
  3. Heat the olive oil and fry halloumi on both sides.
  4. In a large serving platter arrange rocket, lettuce and mint, tearing it into small pieces and season with salt and pepper.
  5. Scatter the fruit and halloumi, cut into smaller pieces, as well as toasted walnuts.
  6. In a food processor add all the vinaigrette ingredients and mix.
  7. Just before serving drizzle the vinaigrette on top of the salad and mix.

Notes

This salad can be made with other raw fruit, such as strawberries, apricots, cherries, loquats etc.

During spring, I use ripe strawberries and during fall or winter I used pomegranate arils or orange slices without the skin and pith.

Nutrition Information
Yield 5 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 269Total Fat 23gSaturated Fat 5gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 17gCholesterol 11mgSodium 176mgCarbohydrates 15gFiber 3gSugar 12gProtein 3g

Did you make this recipe?

Tried this recipe? Tag me @ivyliac and use the hashtag #kopiaste!

Collage Rocket salads image

Kopiaste and Kali Orexi!!

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Halloumi Cheese Is Your New Dinner Staple – hoyasdog

Thursday 19th of January 2023

[…] Spice up your caprese by change mozzarella for halloumior mixed fried halloumi with walnuts and figs for a sweet and savory salad. You can also mix halloumi with other vegetarian staples like avocado […]

Mike

Sunday 20th of July 2014

My brother recommended I might like this website. He was entirely right. This post actually made my day. I love this kind of salads! Thanks!

Nadji

Wednesday 6th of October 2010

Je n'ai pas encore cuisiné le halloumi. Ta recette est très tentante et je voudrai l'essayer bientôt. See soon

fimère

Wednesday 6th of October 2010

une salade remplie de bonnes saveurs, j'aime beaucoup

bonne journée

Mamatouille

Wednesday 6th of October 2010

This looks and sounds gorgeous--I love figs and cheese together. I've never had halloumi but I've read about it before and would love to try it. Can't wait to try this recipe, Ivy! Yum! And good luck with your open office editing and your book.

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